


You’re such a dream to me

by Toomanyfandoms99



Category: Supernatural
Genre: Alternate Universe - Canon Divergence, M/M, The Empty (Supernatural)
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-10-11
Updated: 2018-10-11
Packaged: 2019-07-29 08:09:39
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,780
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16260176
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Toomanyfandoms99/pseuds/Toomanyfandoms99
Summary: “Hey, Gabriel.  It’s, uh, Sam.”The hunter’s voice crept into Gabriel’s subconscious.“You probably can’t hear me.  I mean, you’re dead and everything.  But, um.  I don’t know what to do. I-I just-”  Sam’s voice cracked.  “I don’t know what it is about you that draws me to you.  I just know...you’re my only hope.  Everyone’s only hope.”





	You’re such a dream to me

**Author's Note:**

> The title was taken from the song “R.E.M” by Ariana Grande. Happy Supernatural premiere day! Enjoy!

“Hey, Gabriel. It’s, uh, Sam.”

The hunter’s voice crept into Gabriel’s subconscious.

“You probably can’t hear me. I mean, you’re dead and everything. But, um. I don’t know what to do. I-I just-” Sam’s voice cracked. “I don’t know what it is about you that draws me to you. I just know...you’re my only hope. Everyone’s only hope.”

Gabriel felt his mind seeping into consciousness at the Star Wars reference.

“Michael possessed Dean. Cas is out of his mind with worry. He’s acting how Dean did when Cas died.” There a lengthy pause, Sam seemingly having a realization. “You must be alive. You must be. You’re where Cas was. You have to be. Please. Gabriel, please. Get out of there. Come back to me. I need you to come back, like Cas did for Dean. Please. Get here as fast as you can.”

Gabriel opened his eyes, Sam’s prayer connection cutting off abruptly.

Gabriel wanted to hear his voice more.

Keep talking, Sam. This place was cold. Cold and dark.

And empty.

Castiel’s words rang in Gabriel’s head, about a vast astral plane of emptiness where angels went to die, their minds trapped in a torturous existence of garish memories being relived over and over again, never-ending pain and suffering within one’s unmoving vessel.

Sam’s prayer had woken him up.

It took the power of Jack, the most powerful angel and longest-surviving nephilim, to awaken Castiel from this prison.

A simple prayer was Gabriel’s salvation. That meant something.

Something that Gabriel didn’t want to ruminate on, exactly. He had to be careful with anything regarding Sam Winchester. Castiel was proof enough at what happened when an angel fell hopelessly in love with a hunter that will never pony up and admit his feelings.

Gabriel didn’t like being made a fool of. It’s what got him in this mess. His pride.

And Sam’s stupid puppy dog eyes.

Gabriel sat up, his body protesting at the action. The hole where Michael’s blade punctured his stomach was gone. The kazoo in his pocket was gone too.

He was okay. Dead and corporeal, but okay.

Gabriel stood up shakily and slowly, sucking in breaths while he adjusted to being upright. He examined the blackness swallowing him in all directions, and started walking east.

————

Castiel told Gabriel about the monster.

But he had neglected to tell Gabriel it liked to mirror whoever it was speaking to.

Gabriel realized all the flaws within himself reflected back in his face. He realized that he was too short, too stout, too pathetic.

Too broken.

How could Sam want that? Why would Sam pray to that? Why would Sam rely on that to help him?

“Fuck off, creature from the black lagoon,” Gabriel snapped at the monster.

The monster disappeared.

————

Gabriel took in the sleeping angel on the floor.

Gabriel had been walking for hours with nothing in sight. Then, he saw a body in the distance. He rushed towards it as fast as his legs would allow, crouching once he reached the vessel.

He could hardly believe it. Gabriel’s favorite brother was here.

He had to wake him up.

Gabriel shook the seraphim’s body. “Balthazar.”

The name seemed to trigger a reaction in the angel’s grace. Balthazar’s prone body twitched.

Gabriel repeated encouragingly, “get up Bal. Come on. Wake up.”

Balthazar’s eyes fluttered open, the seraphim regaining full awareness rather quickly. “Gabe?”

“Sup, dude.” Gabriel managed a one-sided smile. “Tired of sitting on your ass yet?”

“Laying,” Balthazar corrected.

“Shut up and sit up.”

Balthazar sat up, his body clearly in pain. “Fuck!”

“Easy,” Gabriel said. “You’ve been asleep for a long time, bro.”

Balthazar took in the blackness enveloping them both. “I haven’t just been asleep, have I?”

“Welcome to the afterlife of angels,” Gabriel said cheerily. “Enjoying your extended stay?”

Balthazar’s eyebrows furrowed. “This is all very...disappointing.”

“No shit.” Gabriel clapped Balthazar’s shoulder, standing up. “Now come on.” He offered a hand, Balthazar taking it to steady himself as he stood. “I’m breaking only the worthiest and nicest angels out of this horrible place.”

Balthazar’s mouth quirked upwards. “You think I’m worthy and nice?” He chortled, throwing his head back in a fit of laughter. “I’ve duped you.”

Gabriel rolled his eyes, unamused. “You’re good where it counts, Bal. The world could use us. You know why?”

“Why?”

“Because Heaven is dying, and I need to find as many good angels as I can in here before I make my grand return from the grave.”

Balthazar’s face fell. “You’re not kidding, are you?”

A wave of somberness washed over Gabriel. “I haven’t made a joke in a long time.”

Balthazar pursed his lips in thought. Then, he asked, “which direction should we walk?”

“East.”

————

Gabriel spat on Naomi’s prone form, Balthazar physically holding him back from doing anything stupid.

Gabriel gained control of himself a moment later, eyeing Naomi in disgust.

What she had done to Castiel sickened Gabriel to his core. She deserved whatever pain was being inflicted on her mind.

After all, it was only fair.

Gabriel and Balthazar continued east, without disturbing Naomi’s nightmarish slumber.

————

Gabriel and Balthazar gasped in delight at who they saw next.

“Samandriel!” They exclaimed in unison.

Hearing their loudness, Samandriel startled awake, breathing heavily and propping himself up. His head swiveled to his right, his mouth curving into a smile upon seeing Gabriel and Balthazar.

“How are you, old boy?” Balthazar said fondly, offering his hand.

Samandriel grasped Balthazar’s hand and hauled himself up. “Where are we?”

“Angel afterlife,” Gabriel said. “Wanna live again?”

“I can’t say no to that.” Samandriel’s eyes slid over them both curiously, sensing the underlying tension. “Where’s the fire?”

“Heaven’s dying,” Gabriel said. “Who do you trust to come back with us to save it?”

Samandriel thought for a moment, then rattled off, “Ambriel, Duma, Hannah, Indra, Joshua, Muriel, and Rachel.”

“Duma and Indra are still alive. At least that’s what Castiel said,” Gabriel informed him.

Samandriel winced. “Naomi got to him.”

“Naomi’s dead. Castiel’s okay now,” Gabriel said reassuringly.

“As for the other names,” Balthazar said, “I concur with your list.”

“There’ll be eight of us,” Gabriel totaled. “I suppose that’s a start.”

————

Joshua didn’t want to be awakened.

But now that he was, he had no choice but to follow Gabriel, Balthazar, and Samandriel into the unknown.

————

The group shuddered upon seeing Zachariah.

“Leave him,” Gabriel spat.

“Yeah,” Balthazar said, “fuck him.”

————

Rachel didn’t want to go with them.

“It’s best not to fight it,” Joshua said warily. “Do you really want to be stuck in this darkness alone?”

Rachel clenched his jaw. “I’m not going where Castiel is.”

“Castiel wasn’t in his right mind,” Gabriel reminded her. “I swear to you that he is, now.”

Rachel huffed and followed them with her arms crossed.

————

Ambriel was actually jazzed to see them all. Her cheeriness reminded Gabriel of the child, Jack.

Like Jack, Ambriel was a pure entity, a truly kind angel that hadn’t been tainted by time and the cruelty of others.

Gabriel was glad she was here.

————

“Hey, Gabriel?” Samandriel asked.

“Yeah?”

“You never told us how you woke up.”

Gabriel pursed his lips. He didn’t want to tell them. He didn’t know what it even began to mean for him.

But they would be insistent, and possibly leave if Gabriel didn’t reply.

So, he answered, “a prayer.”

The angels were silent.

“Impossible,” Rachel said. “We’re in the afterlife.”

“Whom was praying?” Joshua asked.

Gabriel forced out, “Sam Winchester.”

There was a pause.

Rachel muttered, “freaking Winchesters.”

“They’re not so bad,” Joshua said in their defense.

“Gabe.” An echoing voice said. “Hey. It’s Sam again.”

Gabriel stopped in his tracks, causing the group he had gathered to halt in their steps confusedly. 

“Speak of the devil,” Gabriel murmured. He concentrated on the prayer.

“I don’t know if you’re alive, but I believe you must be. Or at least trying to come back. I won’t accept any other option at this point.” Sam sighed. “Every day Dean is possessed by Michael, the more hopeless Cas gets. We’ve had leads, but none of them lead to Michael. I’m trying to stay strong and have faith, but my faith left when you died.”

Gabriel clenched his jaw. What was that supposed to mean?

Sam continued, “I’m really at a loss for what to do. I’m the only one keeping this ship afloat, and I need you. Not for your powers. I just wanna have someone to talk to. Please come back soon.”

The prayer ended, Gabriel shoving whatever feelings Sam brought up to the back of his mind.

My faith left when you died, he said.

There was no way that Gabriel had that profound an effect on Sam. No way.

“What’s wrong?” Samandriel asked, concerned.

Gabriel decided to come clean. “An alternate version of Michael has possessed Dean Winchester.”

Silence enveloped the darkness.

“All is lost,” Rachel said.

“Not yet,” Ambriel disagreed. “We just have to move faster.”

Gabriel nodded, then lead the way east.

————

Muriel was beyond confused upon awakening to a plethora of angels standing over her.

Wide eyes punctured through them all. “Hey, guys,” she breathed. She nodded to Rachel and Ambriel. “Ladies.”

“Hey, Muriel,” Samandriel said. “Come with us if you want to live.”

Gabriel and Balthazar chuckled.

“What?” Samandriel asked, in complete puzzlement.

“That was a movie reference,” Balthazar explained.

“Oh.”

“Anyway,” Gabriel cut in and said to Muriel, “we’re going to get out of here and save Heaven from collapse. You in?”

“Collapse?!” Muriel exclaimed. She jolted to her feet. “I’ve slept too long. I’m in.”

————

“Well,” Gabriel murmured, “this is a new development.”

Lucifer’s body laid on the cold hard ground, his mind subjected to a whirlwind of pain while his physical form remained catatonic.

Balthazar crouched beside the devil, his expression screwed up in disgust. “He doesn’t seem to be in as much pain as he should be.”

“Agreed,” Rachel said.

“Don’t wake him up,” Gabriel chided. “Just let it be. We have Michael to deal with on Earth.”

The group huffed in disappointment.

“I want him to pay too, but his death is enough,” Gabriel said. “Now let’s go.”

The angels continued east.

————

They found Hannah last.

As they walked along with Hannah, Castiel’s name was brought up. Hannah’s eyes widened considerably, her cheeks stained pink.

Is this for real right now?

Gabriel exhaled deeply. “You know that he doesn’t care about you that way, right?”

“Yes,” Hannah said, ending the conversation with a single word.

Poor Hannah. Crushing on an angel that loves a hunter.

Gabriel walked on, taking the lead once again.

————

They rattled off names of good angels, finding them slowly but surely, waking them up.

Gabriel didn’t know how long he had been here, but the group soon became a crowd, and that crowd became an army.

————

“Hey, Gabe. I feel like a bereaved widow every time I pray to you. Silly, right?” Sam laughed, and Gabriel hated his heart for skipping a beat. “It’s not like we were ever…” Sam paused. “You know what? I sort of wish we were something.”

Me too, Gabriel thought. 

He kicked himself internally for admitting it at last. It was hard not to develop feelings for Sam Winchester, especially with the way he spoke to Gabriel in prayer.

“I know you must be working hard to get back to me. That’s the only explanation I can think of for your absence. But I need you to come back now. I’m going out of my mind waiting for you, trying to pull Cas from the brink. He needs Dean back. I need you back. I just want everything to settle down so we can get somewhere, you know? So please get here. Please.”

Gabriel chewed on the inside of his cheek as the prayer ended.

Sam wanted him. Needed him, even.

That was something, wasn’t it?

Gabriel couldn’t help but think — upon returning back to Earth — that these prayers will just be a figment of his imagination. A dream as a result of Gabriel’s overactive mind.

But Gabriel had to believe it was real.

Believe it, he told himself. Believe it, or you will fall apart.

————

“Yo! Creature from the black lagoon!” Gabriel called out into the darkness. “Come out wherever you are!”

The creature took the form of Gabriel and appeared before him. The army of angels behind Gabriel looked at the liquid form threateningly.

“I can tell we’ve severely disturbed you,” Gabriel told the copycat being. “Drop us on Earth, and you can go back to sleep.”

The monster snapped his fingers, the sound echoing throughout the Empty.

The angels saw light.

————

Gabriel found Sam curled up in a ball on a dingy warehouse floor.

His hair covered his entire face. His head was on his knees, arms hugging his legs to his chest.

Gabriel’s heart thumped, his steps slow so as to not startle Sam.

Gabriel cleared his throat silently. “When you said you missed me,” Sam’s face looked up at Gabriel’s in awe, his lips parted in amazement and his eyes bloodshot with tears, “I didn’t think I had the power to make the great Sam Winchester cry.”

“Is it really you?” Sam asked in a choked whisper.

“It’s me,” Gabriel said. He sat across from Sam a safe distance away, tucking one leg underneath the other. “I’m sorry I took so long. I had things to do before I could leave the Empty.” He frowned as a stray tear fell down Sam’s blotchy cheek silently. “I take it the mission to save Dean that went down here didn’t go so well.” Gabriel procured a tissue from his leather jacket pocket. “I assume Cas is in a similar situation as you.” He held out the tissue, Sam sniffling and taking it. Gabriel observed with kind eyes while Sam wiped away tears and took a breath to gather himself. “I sincerely hope I didn’t cause you too much pain.”

Sam sniffled, the red blotches in his complexion and messy strands of hair making him still look attractive, somehow. Gabriel was so fucked.

So. Fucked.

“You heard me,” Sam said, his voice thick from crying. “You heard everything.”

Gabriel pushed down his dread. He kept his tone even. “Of course. There’s nothing better than a sad moose to wake a mighty archangel up.”

“I woke you up?” Sam asked incredulously, crumpling his tissue and shoving it in one of his pockets. 

Gabriel managed a lopsided smile. “You sure did, Sam.”

Sam’s eyes widened. “No Samsquatch? Sammich?”

“Nah,” Gabriel said, waving his hand flippantly. “The only good nickname for you is Moose. But that’s kinda mean for me to say unless it’s in an endearing way.”

Sam suddenly looked radiant, as if he wasn’t crying a few minutes ago. His eyes took in Gabriel in that soft way of his, as if he were a puppy roving over someone he adored. “I like how you say my name.”

Gabriel decided not to let his mind go there. He kept his tone innocent. “You like how I say Sam?”

Sam hummed in affirmation. “What I said,” Sam paused, “about wanting there to be something else between us.”

Before Sam could pose the question, Gabriel replied, “I want something with you too.” He tacked on for clarification, “else.”

Sam’s answering smile warmed Gabriel inside and out. “Yeah?”

“Yeah.”

“C-Can I kiss you?” 

Holy shit. Holy. Shit.

Gabriel replied, “o-okay.”

Sam slid forward, leaning his head tentatively towards Gabriel. He shut his eyes and felt the soft press of Sam’s lips against his.

Holy fuck. Fucking fuck.

Gabriel reciprocated, sparks dancing behind his eyelids. Sam steadied himself by threading a hand through Gabriel’s hair. Gabriel pushed himself forward, deepening the kiss a tad. He didn’t want to get too crazy. 

This soft kiss was intense enough.

After five seconds, Sam pried his lips from Gabriel’s. Both of them tried not to seem too disappointed that it was over.

Their eyes fluttered open at the exact same second. Gabriel remembered to breathe. Sam’s hand had found its way onto Gabriel’s cheek. Gabriel instinctively leaned against Sam’s rough palm, nearly closing his eyes at the sensation.

A soft rumble indicated Sam emitting a chuckle. 

Gabriel stared into Sam’s blue eyes and drowned in them willingly. His voice went on autopilot. “I have an army of angels. We’ll make sure this is all over swiftly. Then,” he breathed, “we’ll do more of this.”

Sam nodded profusely. “Agreed.”

Gabriel exhaled a quick laugh. He stood up shakily, then offered a hand. “Come on. We got work to do.”

Sam grasped Gabriel’s hand and lifted himself up.

**Author's Note:**

> Kudos and comments are appreciated!


End file.
